Solenoid clutch control having an s-shaped support member



' Aug. 17, 1965 'R. c. BOWERS SOLENOID CLUTCH CONTROL HAVING AN S-SHAPEDSUPPORT MEMBER Original Filed March 11, 1959 vice with which a controlassembly 100 may be used United States Patent g 3,201,662 SOLENOIDCLUTCH CONTROL HAVING AN -S-SHAPED SUPPURT MEMBER 1 Roy C. Bowers,Bellwood, lilL, assignor to Borg-Warner Corporation, Chicago, Ill, acorporation of Illinois Original application Mar. 11, 1959, Ser. No.798,660, new Patent No. 3,080,027, dated Mar. 5, 1963. Divided and thisapplication June 28, 1961, Ser. No. 120,414

1 Claim. (Cl. 317-191) This application is a division of my copendingapplication Serial No. 798,660 tor a Clutch, filed March 11, 1959, nowPatent No. 3,080,027.

This invention relates to clutches and in particular to a solenoidcontrol device for actuating a clutch of the type described.

An object of the present invention is to provide a control assemblywhich is effective to selectively position a solenoid plunger.

Another object is to provide a solenoid control assembly combinationwherein solenoid bracket supporting means and means mounted on thesolenoid are effective to :position the solenoid plunger atpredetermined positions.

This invention consists of the novel constructions, arrangements, anddevices to be hereinafter described and claimed for carrying out theabove stated objects and such other objects as will be apparent from thefollowing description of preferred forms of the invention, illustratedwith reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is an elevational sectional view illustrating a clutch systemembodying the principles of the present invention;

FIGURE 1a is an enlarged elevational view of a trunnion forming a partof the clutch system of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 2 is an elevational view, partly in section, taken substantiallyon line 22 of FIGURE 1 and showing the clutch in disengaged position;

FIGURE 3 is a view similar to FIGURE 2 but showing the clutch in engagedposition.

Referring now to the drawings and more particularly to FIGURE 1 a clutchsystem is indicated generally by reference numeral and includes an inputelement or driving member 11 which includes an input sleeve 12,preferably of hard metal such as steel or the like, illustrated as beingtotatably mounted on a stub shaft 14. This clutch system is illustratedas one example of a de- At one end of the sleeve 12 is an annular groove16 in which is received a drive plate 18, also preferably of steel orthe like having a central opening 19. Preferably the groove 16 is formedby swaging the outer edge of the sleeve against the plate 1 8 as at 20.The plate 10, as shown best in FIGURES 2 and 3, is of generallyrectangular configuration and has parallel side edges 22 and 24 andarcuate end edges 26 and 28 preferably formed about an axis coincidentwith the axis of the sleeve 12. Openings 30 and 32 are formed in theplate 1 8 at points oppositely disposed with respect to the axis of thesleeve 12 and adjacent the arcuate edges 26 and 28 respectively. A plate:34, similar to the plate 18 is maintained in axially spaced relationwith respect to the plate 18 by means of tmnnions 36 and 38. It will benoted that the plate 34 has a central opening 40 of greater diameterthan the central opening 19 of the plate 18. Openings 42 and 44 areformed in the plate 34 and in the assembled position of the partsillustrated are in register with the openings 30 and .32 respectively ofthe plate '18.

As shown clearly in FIGURE la the trunnion 36 is of the step type andincludes end portions 46 and 4 8, of equal diameter, received in theopenings 30 and 42 re- "Ice spect-ively and swaged to the plate 18 andthe plate 34 respectively. Between the end portions 46 and 48 is aportion 50 of relatively large diameter and a portion 52 of a diameterlarger than that of the portions 46 and 48 but less than the diameter ofthe portion 50. The purpose of the portion 50 will hereafter bedescribed.

Referring now to FIGURES 2 and 3 a sprag arm or tiltable gripper 54 isprovided adjacent one end thereof with an opening 56 in which isreceived the portion 52 of the trunnion 36. The sprag arm 54 may berotated about the trunnion 36 in a manner hereafter described and isprovided on one side thereof with a cam surface 58. Upon rotation of thesprag arm 54 in a clockwise direction, as viewed in FIGURES 2 and 3, thecam surface 58 is bnought into snubbing engagement with an output sleeve60 which is mounted in surrounding relation to the sleeve 12. A bushing62 having radially outwardly extending thrust flange 64 is interposedbetween the sleeve 12 and the sleeve 60. A radially outwardly extendingflange 66 is formed with the sleeve 60 and is secured by any suitablemeans to an output pulley 68 which may receive an ouput belt 70.

The sleeve 12 is illustrated as being driven by means of an input pulley72 and an input belt 74 from a suitable source of rotative power. Asetscrew 76 is utilized to connect the pulley 7:2 and the sleeve 12 indriving relation. It will be appreciated that the sleeve 12 may bedriven by other means than the pulley 72. For instance, the shaft 14 maybe of the driving type. The trunnion 30 is identical to the trunnion 36and will not be further described in detail. The same reference numeralsas that of trunnion 36 are utilized to designate the several constituentparts of the trunnion 38.

Referring again to FIGURES 2 and 3, a lever arm 78, identical tothesprag arm 54, is provided with an opening 80 adjacent one end thereoffor reception of the portion 52 of the trunnion 38. It will be notedthat the sprag arm 54 is divided by the opening 56 into a foot section82 and an elongated outwardly extending leg portion 84 of taperedconfiguration and having at the outer end an axially offset tab 85. Anopening is formed in the foot portion 82 for reception of a pin 92 whichpasses through a registering opening at one side of a control link 94.The control link 94 has an irregularly formed central opening 96 throughwhich passes the sleeve 12 and the trunnions 36 and 38. The shape of theboundary edges is similar to that of the plate 18 but the longitudinallength is slightly greater. The outer boundary is defined in part by anarcuate edge 91 adjacent the sprag arm 54 and an arcuate edge 93adjacent the lever arm 7 8.

The lever arm 78, as mentioned previously, is identical to the sprag arm54 with the exception that a tab 98 is formed at the outer end of thesection 84 and extends axially oppositely into a different plane fromthat of the tab 86. In all other respects the same reference numeralshave been utilized to designate identical parts of the lever arm 78. Itwill be noted that the sprag arm 5'4 is turned side for side to form thelever arm 78. As a result, the cam surface 58, of the lever arm 78 islocated on the opposite side of the axis of the trunnion and is neverbrought into contact with the sleeve 60. As in the case of the sprag arm54 a pin 92 connects the foot portion 82 of the lever arm 78 to thecontrol link 94 at a point oppositely disposed from the axis of thesleeve 12. Stated another way, the several pins 92 are locat ed onopposite sides of intersecting planes passing through the axis ofrotation.

It will be noted that in the disengaged position of the clutchillustrated in FIG. 2 the tab 98 of the lever 78 describes a circle ofgreater diameter than that of the tab 86 of the sprag arm 54, while inthe engaged position of the clutch illustrated in FIGURE 3, the tab 36describes a circle of greaterdiameter than that of the tab 98 of thelever arm 78. It will be noted also that in the engaged position of theclutch illustrated in, FIGURE 3 the cam surface 58 of the. sprag arm 54is shown in wrap-up position with the output sleeve 69.

e To disengage the clutch of the present invention, the sprag arm 54 isrotated in a manner hereafter apparent in a counterclockwise directionso that it assumes the position shown in FIGURE 2. i

To engage the present clutch the lever arm 75) is rotated in acounterclockwise direction in a manner hereafter described about theaxis of the trunnion 38 and because of the. connection of the lever arm78 with the link 94', the

link 94 is drawn downwardly thus rotating the sprag arm 54 about theaxis of the trunnion 36 so that it assumes I the engaged positionillustratedin FIGURE 3. It will be appreciated that the link 94 ismovedin the opposite direction when the sprag arm 54 is rotated to disengagethe clutch in the manner above set forth.

'As mentioned previously,.the respective tabs 86 and 7 98am offsetaxially in different planes. Whichever. tab

is outermost, 'i.e., describes a circle of greater diameter, may beengaged and moved inwardly for engagement or disengagement of theclutch, as. the case may be, by

a controlassembly 100 which will now be described in detail; a

' The control assembly 100 includes a solenoid 102 carried by a bracket1% which maybe secured to any suitable stationary support. The solenoid102 is of the f S-frame .type and includes a first portion 106 securedto the bracket 104 and a second portion 198. The first portion 1% has anarm 1 10 and a base portion 112 while the second section 108 has an arm114 and a base portion 116. An arm 118, integral with the base portion Ispring 128 extends between the flange 126 and the arm 118 to return thedisc 124 to the position shown in solid lines. It will be noted that thedisc 124 in the solid line position is coplanar with the tab 98 of thelever '78 while inthe dot-and-dash lines it coincides with the axialplane of the tab 86. When the tab 9% is engaged by the disc 124 thelever arm 78 is rotated counterclockuntil it reaches the engagedposition, illustrated in FIG- 86 of the sprag arm 54 for rotation of thesprag arm 54 in a counterclockwise direction to disengage the camsurface58 from the outer periphery of the sleeve 60. The lever'arm 78 isreturned by means of the link 94 to the position shown in FIGURE 2. l v

Assuming clockwise rotation of the sleeve 12, as shown.

' by the arrow in FIGURE 2, engagement of the tab 98 by the disc 124initiates rotation of the sprag arm 54 and complete engagement of thecam surface 58. with the periphery of the sleeve 60 is effected by theresultant of the centrifugal forces acting upon the combination of.sprag arm 54, control link 94 and lever arm.73. To

tion is defined solely by the appended claim which should wise, asviewed in FIGURE 2, so that the disc 124 is no longer in the path oftravel of the'tab 98. It' will be appreciated that in theengagedposition of the clutch the coil 122 is de-energized and the disc124 remains coplanar with the tab 98. The sprag arm 54 is rotated in aclockwise direction in the manner above set forth prevent bouncing whenthe arms are returned to the position shown in FIGURE 2, the arcuateedge 93 of link 94 is bent axially as shown best in'FIGURE '1, toprovide frictional resistance.

While I have described my invention in connection with certain specificconstructions and arrangements, it is to be understood that this is byway of illustration and not by way of limitation and the scope, of myinven-' be construed as broadly as I claim: 7 7 Control meanscomprising:

the prior art will permit.

a. substantially S-shaped bracket being formed of first,

second and third portions, 7 7, a solenoid coil mounted between saidfirst and third 1 portions, h

a plunger projecting through said second and third portions, plunger.retaining means mounted on said plunger 7 and adapted to be positionedsubstantially against said second portion, ,7 biasing means between saidretaining means and'said third portion for urging'said plunger to afirst position when said solenoid is not energized, and means on saidsecond portion for positioning said plunger in a second position whensaid solenoid is energized.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,516,362 7/50Bauer 317-191 2,722,299 11/55 Otis et al. 19226 3,134,934 5/64 Brandell1 1 -3l7--191

